Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation image capturing system. Specifically, the present invention relates to a radiation image capturing system in which the portable console performs wireless communication with the FPD cassette, external system, etc.
Description of Related Art
In the field of radiation capturing, the method of capturing is shifting from analog to digital, specifically, the method of capturing is shifting from a conventional silver halide photography type using screen/film to photography using a CR (computed radiography) cassette with a stimulable phosphor sheet. Lately, various radiation image capturing apparatuses (Flat Panel Detector: FPD) are being developed. In such apparatuses, radiation is irradiated from a radiation source, and image data is generated according to the radiation which passes through the subject. Such apparatuses are used in capturing images to be provided in diagnosis in medical scenes such as hospitals.
Then, the image data generated in the radiation image capturing apparatus is transferred to a console, image processing is performed on the image data in the console, and the radiation image, in other words, the image for diagnosis is generated. The generated image for diagnosis may be transmitted from the console to an external apparatus or system such as a host computer, or a QA (Quality Assurance) station, PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), or the like.
Alternatively, for example, the console may transmit and receive information, etc. wirelessly. Specifically, the console may wirelessly obtain later described capturing order information from external systems such as HIS (Hospital Information System) or RIS (Radiology Information System) in facilities such as hospitals.
When the communication between the console and the external apparatus is connected by a wired network, the communication between the radiation image capturing apparatus and the console and the communication between the console and the external apparatus, etc. do not interfere with each other. However, when both the communication between the radiation image capturing apparatus and the console and the communication between the console and the external apparatus are performed by a wireless method, the problem of the above communication interfering with each other may occur.
In order to prevent such system, Japanese Patent No. 5298865 describes changing the method of the wireless communication to prevent interference of communication. For example, one method of wireless communication can be wireless communication with UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication and the other method of the wireless communication can be wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication.
However, depending on the facility such as hospitals, it is not possible to set the method of communication between the radiation image capturing apparatus and the console different from the method of communication between the console and the external apparatus as described in Japanese Patent No. 5298865. There are many facilities in which only one wireless communication method, such as a wireless LAN communication method, can be used.
Such situation may also occur in a radiation image capturing system in which a radiation image generating apparatus, console, etc. are loaded on a diagnosis car as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2014-94306. Specifically, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2014-94306 describes an example in which communication between the console and the external apparatus or the system is performed in a wireless method, but since the console and the radiation image capturing apparatus are formed on the diagnosis car as one, the communication between the console and the radiation image capturing apparatus is performed in a wired method.
It is assumed that in a radiation image capturing system formed on such diagnosis car, for example, a commercially available portable computer is used as the console and portable devices are used as the radiation image capturing apparatus and the console so that the diagnosis car can function as a capturing room. With this, the mobility when the system is moved is enhanced.
In this case, not only the communication between the console and the external apparatus or system but also communication between the radiation image capturing apparatus and the console is performed using the wireless function of the commercially available computer. However, the communication between the radiation image capturing apparatus and the console and the communication between the console and the external apparatus or system are each performed with a wireless method. In such case, when the frequency band used by both wireless communication is close, interference may occur.
For example, when information such as a plurality of images for diagnosis are transmitted collectively from the console to the external device or system, the time necessary to transmit the images for diagnosis may become relatively long. In such situation, when image data is transmitted from the radiation image capturing apparatus to the console while the image for diagnosis is transmitted from the console to the external apparatus, etc., the wireless communication may interfere with each other.
For example, when the transmission of the image data from the radiation image capturing apparatus to the console interferes with the transmission of the information of the image for diagnosis from the console to the external apparatus or system, either the transmission of the image data from the radiation image capturing apparatus to the console or the transmission of the information of the image for diagnosis from the console to the external apparatus or system runs out of time and error occurs in communication. In this case, the user performs the operation to send the image data or the information again. However, if the user is not used to the operation, in the worst case, the image data or the information of the image for diagnosis may be lost.
When the image data or the information is lost, the capturing needs to be performed again. When capturing is performed again, the amount of irradiation on the patient increases. This increases the burden of the patient.